The US is assisting Middle East allies in building up cyber defences to counter growing attacks from Iran, it was reported on Sunday.

The New York Times, citing senior American officials, said computer software, hardware and training was being provided to pro-Washington countries in the Persian Gulf to diffuse the growing threat from Tehran.

Plans to bolster the computer defences of US allies will be extended to parts of Asia in a bid to blunt the perceived threat of network attacks from North Korea.

The Obama administration has long been believed to have been involved in cyberwarfare against Tehran, with earlier reports suggesting the president ordered a series of sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that run the country's nuclear programme.

On Friday, the Guardian further revealed that Obama had set up a list of potential overseas targets for US cyber-attacks. The leaked directive authorises the use of cyber-attacks on foreign nations whenever "US nationals interests and equities" are at stake, and specifies that cyber warfare can be used as "anticipatory action" against "imminent threats".

The New York Times article suggests that accompanying a more aggressive approach to conducting cyberwarfare, Washington is looking to thwart attacks from regimes hostile to the US.

The catalyst to boosting the defences of allies seems to have been two recent high-profile attacks – one against Saudi Arabia's oil industry, thought have been conducted from Iran, and an alleged North Korean hack of banks and media companies in South Korea.

A US official told the New York Times that the Iranian attack was "a real wake-up call" which prompted the Pentagon to draw up proposals to provide allies with better computer defences.

It comes as Iran attempts to hire computer programmers associated with illegal hacking, some from Russia.

The US is not the only country to express concern over Tehran's apparent increased attack on cyber security.

"In the past few months, we have identified a significant increase in the scope of cyber-attacks on Israel by Iran. These attacks are carried out directly by Iran and through its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah," he told a conference in Tel Aviv.

He added that "vital national systems" had been targeted and that water, power and banking sites were under threat from the attacks.